Loudon Mayor · Nov 3, 2026
John
Cardwell
John Cardwell is running for mayor of Loudon in the Nov 3, 2026 election, against Jeff Harris.
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The race · Mayor
- 01John CardwellYou’re reading
- 02Jeff HarrisIncumbent
Background
- About
- Retired U.S. Army major general and four-year member of the Loudon City Council. He is also a director of Loudon Utilities.
- Party
- Nonpartisan race. City of Loudon
John Cardwell is running for mayor instead of re-election to the council; if he loses the mayor's race, he will be off the council. Van Shaver · Jul 8, 2026
On the record: John Cardwell
10 sourced01Property tax rate2 sourced positions
Voted yes on a motion to set the 2026 property tax rate at $0.83 (failed 2-3, May 2026).
Council voteCity of Loudon · May 26, 2026LinkHow the council voted
Voted no on setting the 2026 property tax rate at the certified rate of $0.7902 (passed 3-2, June 2026).
Council voteCity of Loudon · Jun 22, 2026LinkHow the council voted
02City budget3 sourced positions
Voted no on adopting the 2026-2027 city budget (passed 4-1, June 2026).
Council voteCity of Loudon · Jun 22, 2026LinkHow the council voted
Voted no on adopting the 2025-2026 city budget (passed 4-1, June 2025).
Council voteCity of Loudon · Jun 23, 2025Link
Said he wants to replace line-item budgeting with performance-based budgeting.
Own statementNews-Herald · Jul 22, 2026Link
03Data center moratorium1 sourced position
Voted no on amending the data center moratorium to a 12-month initial period with an optional 12-month extension, and no on the amended resolution (both passed 3-2, August 2026).
Council voteCity of Loudon · Aug 24, 2026LinkHow the council voted
04Budget reserves1 sourced position
Said the city's reserve fund should be used for one-time capital projects, not recurring expenses.
The city has a healthy reserve fund, and we need to use it for one-time capital projects, but we cannot use our savings to fund recurring expenses”
Own statementNews-Herald · Jul 22, 2026Link
05Growth and zoning1 sourced position
Said he would manage growth by updating the zoning ordinances to align with long-term planning.
The land use plan is the vision where zoning is the enforcement”
Own statementNews-Herald · Jul 22, 2026Link
06City pay plan1 sourced position
Voted no on amending the pay classification resolution to add assistant manager pay and supplemental pay for department heads (passed 3-2, June 2026).
Council voteCity of Loudon · Jun 22, 2026LinkHow the council voted
07Past candidacies1 sourced position
Ran for Loudon City Council in August 2022 as an independent candidate (won).
Own statementLoudon County Election Commission · Aug 4, 2022Link
Every claim links to its source and was checked against it before publishing. How this guide works
John Cardwell: their words and their votes on the same issue
City budget
In their words
Said he wants to replace line-item budgeting with performance-based budgeting.
Jul 22, 2026 ·News-Herald · Jul 22, 2026
On the record
Voted no on adopting the 2025-2026 city budget (passed 4-1, June 2025).
Jun 23, 2025 ·City of Loudon · Jun 23, 2025
Voted no on adopting the 2026-2027 city budget (passed 4-1, June 2026).
Jun 22, 2026 ·City of Loudon · Jun 22, 2026
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